


Expect the Unexpected

by PawsitiveStars



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is very conflicted, Aged Up, Based on a Tumblr Post, F/M, Gabriel Agreste influencing his son even after death, Minor Swearing, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, feelings and emotions are so messy, heed the title before you read, one (1) Hero's Day reference, or it may be the most predictable but whatever, villain AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 01:25:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18539464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PawsitiveStars/pseuds/PawsitiveStars
Summary: After Adrien switched to the dark side, he has been constantly trying, yet continuously failing, in retrieving Ladybug's Miraculous. It's frustrating to no end, but he doesn't give up and never questions his decision to pursue. That is, until fate suddenly decides to give him what he wants.When the hero is the one who needs saving, what is the villain to do?





	Expect the Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> Me: *sees a Tumblr post and is instantly moved to write*  
> My eight WIP's: *all stare at me in disappointment as I dish this story out and completely ignore them*
> 
> Wow it's been awhile! Life gets crazy, ya know? Especially when creativity is hard to come by these days, whew boy. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this angsty mess! Plus, on an important note, this story has been beta'd by the lovely @valenkisa!! What would I do without you? Love you girl! <3

The sound of glass shattering echoed throughout the dark and empty mansion.

Adrien heaved a deep breath as he reeled in his anger then exhaled calmly, leaving his rolling emotions to simmer.  He was no closer to obtaining his goal than his father was when he was alive.

It was incredibly frustrating.

Ignoring the broken glass cup on the floor, he got up from Gabriel’s work desk and headed towards his bedroom. After he entered, he got a cheese wedge from the mini fridge and set it down on his nightstand for his kwami, then walked over to his windows to stare out at the bright moon in the clear night sky.

A few seconds went by when he finally heard the telltale signs of Plagg munching away.

“One day I’ll finally have her miraculous,” Adrien said with conviction. He turned to look back at his kwami who stopped chewing to give him a withering glare. Ever since he betrayed Ladybug to join his father two years ago, Plagg hasn’t spoken a word to him. It hurt at first, but enough time has gone by for him to be used to it and not expect anything else.

Besides, he’s familiar with the tone of silence anyway.

Sighing in exhaustion from the long day and all its feelings, Adrien walked over to his bed and flopped onto it. Folding his hands over his chest and closing his eyes, he was soon reminiscing.

_“Adrien, come join me my son,” his father spoke tenderly, “Together, we will retrieve Ladybug’s miraculous and bring your mother back.”_

He smiled softly, remembering the way his father had looked at him with such pride after he agreed.

_“Chat Noir..?” the look on Ladybug’s face was one of pure devastation._

The smile slowly vanished and was replaced with a small frown.

_“Adrien, please don’t do this,” she pleaded, tentatively reaching out to him._

_“I’m sorry Marinette. You are no longer my Lady.”_

Mentally stomping the guilty feelings down, Adrien opened his eyes to stare at his shadowy ceiling. Even after his father had died of a severe illness a year later, he continued to battle against Ladybug with Nathalie at his side as the new Papillion. She continues to encourage him, telling him that by getting Ladybug’s earrings, not only could he wish for just one parent to come back from the dead but _both_. It fuels him to push harder after each rare encounter with his old partner, knowing what he will gain.   

The guilt and sadness of what he is doing hits him from time to time though.

Plagg’s disappointed looks remind him of that the most.

Adrien grit his teeth as a swell of anger rose up again. He just wants his parents back! Not only that, but he had to uphold his father’s final request. Another memory popped up in his mind.

_“Promise me Adrien,” Gabriel’s weak voice traveled through the quiet hospital room, “Get her miraculous. Make the wish. Don’t let me down.”_

_“I promise, Father.”_

“The next time I see her, I _will_ be taking her miraculous. Nothing will stop me,” Adrien quietly declared.

Silence was the only thing that answered him back as he laid there in deep thought.

That is until there came a buzzing from the front door.

Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, Adrien rose from his bed and started making his way to it. Who could possibly be at the door at this hour? Glancing at the clock in the hallway told him it was two in the morning.

Another thing was, how did they get past the front gate?

Thinking it was probably Nathalie or his bodyguard as the most likely answer, Adrien opened the door without hesitation.

What he saw will forever be ingrained into his memory.

Marinette stood before him, and was a complete _wreck_. She quivered and shook, rattled from fear. The pink blouse she wore was ripped in random places with one huge gash slit into her side, staining the area red from her blood. Her jeans were torn as well, also marred with blood and dirt. It seemed as though she had been assaulted. He looked into her dull blue eyes, which appeared slightly dazed and cloudy, showing him she had been drugged.

Something clenched in his gut from the sight.

Swaying slightly, as if ready to pass out at his feet, she peered into his eyes. “Didn’t know where else to go…” she mumbled, before finally giving in and collapsing, falling right into his arms.

Adrien stood there, dumbfounded.

Did the universe really hand over Ladybug to him just like that?

Recovering from his shock, he readjusted Marinette in his arms to carry her bridal style. Gently pressing her small form to his chest, he walked back into the mansion and shut the door with his foot. Standing in the foyer, with her unguarded and within his grasp, he still couldn’t believe what just happened.

Shaking his head, he carried her up to his room and laid her gently onto the bed. He watched her for a few seconds then glanced over at Plagg, who sat on his desk, his mouth gaping. The kwami snapped his jaw shut a moment later and immediately locked eyes with Adrien.

A few tense seconds passed as kwami and miraculous holder had a stare down. Then what after felt like an eternity had passed, Plagg finally spoke.

Well, more like _growled_.

“If you dare even _think_ about taking her miraculous while she is injured and unable to defend herself, I will _cataclysm your unjust ass_.”

Adrien crossed his arms over his chest, not intimidated in the slightest. “Life isn’t fair Plagg, and besides, when an opportunity presents itself, you take it.”

Flying up and zooming over to look his holder in the eye, the black kwami shook with barely contained rage. “You’re going to take from Ladybug when she is utterly defenseless and dying by the second?” he hissed. “I never thought to see the day you would stoop so low.”

Pursing his lips at the puffed up black cat of destruction, Adrien actually started to feel sick when he was thinking about doing it with her in this state.

But when would he get another chance like this?

Wiping his hands down his face, Adrien groaned in indecisiveness.

“How about,” Plagg snarled, “you at least give her some medical attention while you decide? Or do you want to see her dead too?”

Adrien had to swallow the bile that nearly came up from picturing that.

Even if it has been seven years since he first started loving her, and he eventually had to shove those feelings aside to obtain his goal, those feelings truly never went away.

Dwindled, yes, but they’re still there, buried deep within his heart.

Taking a calming breath, then quickly retrieving the first aid kit from his bathroom, he sat down next to her and turned on a light to tend to her wounds. Carefully, he lifted up her shirt halfway to see the deep cut in her side. He frowned, wondering who could have done this to her, while a familiar old feeling of protectiveness bubbled in his chest. Shoving that feeling violently aside, soon he got to work on cleaning up the gash then prepared a sterile needle with nylon to stitch her wound closed. The first stitch didn’t get a reaction out of her; however by the fifth one, she moaned while her face was scrunched in pain.

Adrien had to keep telling himself that he didn’t care as he continued with another one and blatantly ignored seeing the tears that had escaped her closed eyelids. Once the eighth one was done, he sighed in relief and wiped up the blood. Eventually her pale face settled again, as he decided to just remove her shirt to check the rest of her. There was nothing else as severe, luckily, so he cleaned and bandaged any other cuts he found and tried not to think about how truly vulnerable she was right now.

Tried hard not to think about how she came to _him_ of all people. Her enemy. Who she was currently trusting to care for her.

It was hard not to notice the skip in his heartbeat.

Tugging off her dirty and ripped up pants, he dressed the wounds there too and could feel the burning anger grow inside him, no matter how hard he tried to push it back down.

In moments, his resolve crumbled.

How _dare_ someone try to hurt and take advantage of Marinette! Yeah, he tried to as well, to get her miraculous, but he never took it too far, he knew her limits. Times where he was frustrated to no end, like today for example, but he still couldn’t bring himself to really injure her.

No matter how many times his father or Nathalie had urged him to.

“Whoever did this to her is going to _pay_ ,” Adrien seethed.

Finishing up, he gathered up his medical supplies and dropped them back off in the bathroom, then went to his closet and grabbed the smallest pair of pants and shirt he could find. He pulled the black pajama pants over her toned legs and was putting his old black t-shirt with horizontal stripes on her when Plagg hummed next to him.  

“What is it Plagg?” he asked, slightly annoyed. He wanted him to go back to being silent again.

But no such luck.

“Did you have a change of heart, kid?” Plagg actually appeared a little smug.  

Adrien glared at him.

The kwami continued, floating up to rest next to Marinette’s side. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled and surprised to see you taking care of her and wanting to avenge her, not to mention, also not taking her miraculous,” he narrowed his eyes, “ _y_ _et_. But your priority seems to have shifted. Hopefully for the better.”

Making a tsking noise, Adrien covered up Marinette with his blanket and shook his head in denial. “You’re delusional Plagg, I’m still going to take her miraculous no matter what, as soon as she’s better. She’s been through enough trauma.”

“She has, hasn’t she?” Plagg nodded along. “Especially when she found out her high school crush was her beloved partner, whom then proceeded to stab her in the back by switching to the dark side, causing her to go into hiding for two years. Only by the power of Tikki’s magic and my bad luck has she been able to avoid you finding her.” Plagg hummed again, locking vivid green eyes with Adrien. “But by all means, this event is truly too much trauma for her, for you to finally cross that line.”

Running a hand moodily through his hair and scoffing, Adrien stiffly turned and walked over to his desk chair to bring it over to the side of his bed. “Whatever, Plagg,” he snapped, sitting down and rolling close to Marinette’s head.

He huffed to expel his irritation, then watched, mesmerized, by the rise and fall of the blanket from her breathing. Traveling up to examine her face, he took in her pink, parted lips, and up further to imagine those deep blue eyes behind her closed eyelids. Not really aware of what he was doing, Adrien reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

A small sliver of warmth bloomed in his chest.

“You still love her, don’t you?”

Jerking back as if touching her burned him, Adrien told himself the sudden racing of his heart was due to being startled. “No I don’t,” he denied, but it sounded fake to his own ears.

“Why not just do the right thing and be a hero again?” Plagg crossed his tiny arms over his chest. “I’m sure she will forgive you. Then you two can finally be happy in love like you both always wanted.”

“It’s not that easy,” Adrien responded in a defeated tone.

“I’m just saying.”

A wave of quiet settled over the three inhabitants of the room then, the only sound being Marinette’s deep breathing and the ticking of a faraway clock. Adrien clicked off the light and the room was plunged into darkness again, save for the moonlight pouring through the windows. After a few moments, Adrien turned to Plagg.

“How come I haven’t seen her kwami yet?” he questioned.

Plagg blinked, and then replied honestly. “I don’t know. That’s probably why Marinette wasn’t able to defend herself, because Tikki wasn’t with her when she was attacked.”

“So even if I did take her miraculous, I would still have to find her kwami?” Adrien said, exasperated.

“Ye _p_ ,” Plagg said, popping the p.

Pinching his nose and screwing his eyes shut, Adrien groaned. So many emotions were rolling around inside of him, he was ready to burst. This was just the topping on the shit cake.

Taking in a lungful of air, Adrien let it out slowly to calm himself, then relaxed back into his chair. He can deal with this later. A huge yawn caught him by surprise and soon he found himself drifting off.

 

 

“…no.”

Adrien stirred from the sound.

“Stay away from me. No!”

Blearily, he cracked open his tired eyes.

“HELP!”

Jerking awake at the shout, Adrien whipped his head to look at Marinette. She was tangled in his bed sheets and appeared to be struggling, fighting off a nightmare. Tears glistened down her cheeks and her breathing was erratic while she punched the air.

“Someone, please help me,” she sobbed.

Adrien’s heart broke as he listened. Getting up and quickly moving to her side, he held her arms and tried to calm her down. “Marinette, it’s okay,” he soothed.

She tried to shove him back but he held onto her firmly. “Marinette,” he tried again.

Her struggling subsided, and soon he got a glimpse into those blue eyes who peered at him, unfocused. “ _Mon Chaton_ ,” she whispered brokenly.

Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat at the old endearment. “I’m here. You’re safe.”

Marinette sniffed, then suddenly he was yanked down to fall onto the bed, quickly being snatched up by her arms. He laid there frozen, while she snuggled her face into his chest. “Thank you for saving me,” she whimpered and a little part of him died.

Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around her and immediately relished in her closeness and warmth. It’s been too long since they’ve been like this and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss it. He buried his nose into her hair and smelled the faint traces of her strawberry shampoo.

Tears pricked at his eyes. He _really_ missed this.  

With the comfort of his soft bed and the feel of having Marinette in his arms, Adrien was quickly succumbed to the pull of sleep once more.

Until what only felt like ten minutes after he shut his eyes, came the unmistakable screech in his ear.

“ _W_ _hat the fuck?!_ ”

To where he then suddenly found himself shoved out of bed, falling roughly onto the hardwood floor.

Adrien hissed in pain, rubbing his now sore elbow. “Seriously?” he grumbled.

Getting up, he stood there and frowned as he examined a now fully awake Marinette, clutching at his sheets, knuckles turned white, looking at him with fear and uncertainty. She watched him as though she were trapped prey waiting for the predator to strike.

The tension in the room was palpable.

He finally sighed, not missing the way she flinched.

“Look, I’m not going to hurt you, I just need to know if you’re alright,” Adrien asked.

The fear in her eyes was swift in changing to burning anger. “Yeah, sure,” she snapped bitterly, “There are several ways in how I can answer that as a no, would you like me to start from the very beginning?”

Adrien grit his teeth, getting her underlying message. “I mean recently, what the hell happened to you?”

Marinette slowly and carefully inched her way out of his bed, never taking her eyes off of him, and stood on the other side before answering. “What concern is it too you _Chat Noir_?”

Now Adrien was starting to get ticked off. “You bet your ass it’s of my concern when you show up on _my_ doorstep after I haven’t seen you for at least three months looking half dead!”

As if she suddenly remembered the night before, Marinette squeezed her eyes shut and her whole body shuddered. He felt a pang of pity and his anger sputtered out to be replaced with worry.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.

Adrien stepped around the bed to get closer to her but she jumped back, getting nearer towards his door, and eyed him with caution, her guard raised high.

“Don’t come near me,” she warned.

“I told you, I’m not going to hurt you,” he took another step forward as she took another step back.

Marinette scoffed. “As if I believe you. I haven’t trusted anything you’ve said since the day you turned against me.”

Only admitting it internally, hearing that hurt a little but he had already made that choice. He saw her body slightly shift in the direction of the door, eyes still trained on him. By being her partner for five years, he could read her like an open book, knowing full well what she planned next.

“You’re injured and without your kwami, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Adrien spoke calmly.  

Instead of backing down, she held up her fists in a fighting position.

Adrien scoffed. “You’re in no condition for that either.”

She remained unmoved. “I’ll fight with everything I have left,” she said, her tone stony.

Opening his mouth to reply, Adrien was soon interrupted by the door swinging open.

“Adrien! We have found hints to the location of-,”

Nathalie stopped upon entering his room and gazed on in shock at who stood before her.

“Ladybug.”

Nobody moved. Adrien looked from Nathalie to Marinette and watched as the sliver of hope of her escaping withered away in her eyes. Something painfully twisted in his heart at the sight of it, but he ignored it.

Suddenly, the quiet was broken by Nathalie’s malicious laughter. “Well isn’t this just pure _luck_ ,” she said, a too wide smile taking up her face. “Good job Adrien, I always knew you would come through for us.” With that, she took a step forward as Marinette inched back towards his windows, glancing back and forth quickly between the two of them, her now shaking fists still raised.

Adrien joined Nathalie’s side as the two of them forced Marinette to back right up against one of his windows, which was cracked open. The morning rays of the sun bathed her in a golden light while she peered behind her. He could see her thinking of the last resort, the only way she would be able to get away, but with a great cost. She made up her mind when her face cleared of emotion and she stood before them waiting.

“Looks like your luck has run out Ladybug,” Nathalie sneered, then called upon her kwami.

“Nooroo! Transform me!” In a flash of purple, she became Papillion then looked to Adrien for him to do the same.

He watched her for a moment, and then made up his mind. Taking a deep breath, he called out, “Plagg! Transform me!” The last thing he saw of Plagg was his pointy teeth bared and his green eyes glowing in fury. After the green light faded, he rolled his shoulders as Nathalie unsheathed her sword from the cane.

Marinette stood still before them, her chin raised in defiance, awaiting her fate. Papillion took a step forward, lifting the sword, when Chat held out his hand to stop her. “No,” he smirked, “Let me do the honors.”

Papillion sent him a warm smile and handed him her weapon. “Your father would be so proud of you.”

Grabbing the sword, he sent her a wink. “Nah, my mother would.”

Her eyebrows drew in confusion. “What do you mean?”

In a flash, Chat threw away the sword at the same time he ripped the brooch off of Papillion’s suit, and snatched a spiraling Nooroo out of the air. He shoved them into his pocket and zipped it up, all while he bounded towards a gaping Marinette. Pulling out his baton in one hand, and using his free arm to wrap around her hips, he had her flush against him, while utilizing his momentum to shove open the window with his body as they began to freefall. Until the last second before they hit the ground, his baton shot open and propelled them across the street onto the rooftops.   

It all happened in seven seconds.

The last thing he heard from Nathalie was her enraged scream.

Chat held Marinette tightly to him, being mindful of her injuries, while he ran as fast as he could. To not only get her far away from Nathalie, but to try and outrun the action he took to get here.

He really did that.

The truth dawned on him as he leapt onto another roof, slowly pressing down on his chest like a heavy weight the further away he got. The anxiety writhed in his gut.

Now he was truly alone, with no place to go.

But it was worth it.

Coming to a stop some time later on the outskirts of Paris in an abandoned warehouse, Chat finally set Marinette down on the ground. He looked at her still shocked expression and trembling form and decided she was going to be okay. Eventually.

Pacing back and forth in front of her, he ran an agitated clawed hand through his hair and took in several deep breaths.

“Okay, I actually did that. Everything is going to be fine,” he muttered, trying to convince himself but failing.

After a few seconds of silence when he abruptly stopped pacing, Marinette coughed to get his attention.

In a voice that quavered, she asked, “Are you going to kill me?”

Slapping a hand to his face and sighing in exasperation, Chat moved to sit down in front of her. There were quite a few feet between them. “Marinette, don’t you think if I wanted to do that I would have done it by now? Or as soon as you showed up on my doorstep at two in the morning?”

She closed her eyes and let out a relieved breath. “Just wanted to be sure.”

Suddenly, he let out a mocking laugh to himself. “You know, just last night I told Plagg _nothing_ would stop me in taking your miraculous. I’m such a liar.”

He looked into her deep blue eyes, the truth bubbling up out of his chest. “When I had to make the split second decision between your life and the promise I made to my father, it become obvious who I’ve always cared for the most so it wasn’t difficult. But that wasn’t the hardest part. Now it’s accepting what I’ve done and put you through for two years, and suffering the consequences of my actions.” Putting his head in his hands with his shoulders hunched up, he felt miserable.

All the guilt, disappointment, shame and uncertainty within him were coming forth now, threatening to overwhelm him.

There was some shuffling as she edged closer to him, but he was too far in his despair to register it.

“I should have never turned my back on you,” he continued. “Even if at first, it was to get my mother back while also gaining the little bit of pride from my father...who barely showed me any love anyway,” his breathing came out uneven. He could feel the years of held back emotions ripping apart inside him. How he so easily betrayed the one person he loved in exchange for a futile wish and the smallest of acknowledgment from a cold, distant father.

He choked. “I’m such a horrible, selfish partner.”

Suddenly, he felt small arms wrap around his body. “No, you were just misguided. It will take some time for you to earn back your trust, but for now, I forgive you,” she whispered in his ear.

A slight shiver went down his spine from the warmth of her breath. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” his voice came out broken.

“Yes you do,” she stated with conviction. “You’re only human my dear _Minou_.”

The sweet sentiment was too much for him to handle as tears began to pool and fall down his cheeks. “God, I’ve missed you so much. And I am so _so_ sorry my Lady.” He unwound one of her arms and grasped her hand tightly, then held it against his aching chest. “As long as my heart beats, I will do all that I can to earn back all that I have lost and become someone better than who I once was.”

He felt her lift up his chin and he opened his eyes to peer into her blue ones, filled with understanding and compassion. “It’s alright now _mon Chaton_. We do have a lot to discuss but for now, we’re here, ready to move on.” He let go of her as she gingerly got up and looked down at him.

“Welcome back Chat Noir.” She held out her hand.

“What am I going to do about Nathalie?” he questioned, slowly reaching out to her.

“ _We_ can figure that out together.” After grasping his hand and giving a playful wink, she smiled and played back his words from a long time ago.

“You and me against the entire world, remember?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the tumblr post of inspiration if anyone is curious: http://luminousinthedark.tumblr.com/post/182871354846/the-hero-shows-up-at-the-villains-doorstep-one
> 
> This story wasn't even supposed to be this long?? Ah well, it is what it is. But yeah, to make this work with the prompt, Adrien and Marinette had to know each other identities, which was interesting to come up with and write. Almost every villain AU I've read has them interact with their own secret identities. Oh, and I also left it kind of open ended so you guys can imagine and decide what happens after :)


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